Bipartisan Bill to Increase Louisiana Coastal Restoration Funding and Set the Stage for Offshore Wind Revenue Sharing Introduced

Louisiana / Washington D.C. – Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr., and House Republican Whip Steve Scalise introduced bipartisan legislation to update the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA) to increase coastal states’ share of oil and natural gas revenue on July 21, 2022. The Budgeting for Renewable Electrical Energy Zone Earnings (BREEZE) Act equalizes revenue sharing percentages to match those of onshore states, strengthens South Louisiana’s hurricane resilience, provides hundreds of millions more dollars to restore our coast, and lays the groundwork for offshore wind energy investment and revenue collection.

“Louisiana’s coastline is facing an existential threat, and our state needs and deserves a sufficient and reliable funding stream to protect against erosion and more intense hurricanes due to climate change,” said Congressman Carter. “After long being shortchanged in our state’s share of energy revenues, the BREEZE Act would help level the playing field for Louisiana while building a framework to bring home more funds for coastal restoration from the growing sector of offshore wind. The scale of this challenge is enormous, and I’m glad to collaborate on this problem-solving bill with Congressman Scalise to protect the people, environment, and economy of Louisiana.”

“Offshore energy production provides crucial dollars for our state to use to restore our coast, which is the first line of defense against powerful Gulf storms. For years, I have fought to increase the share of oil and gas revenue that Louisiana receives from GOMESA to 50 percent, leveling out the playing field with interior states. The BREEZE Act not only achieves that goal but goes even further by allowing Louisiana to collect revenue from future offshore wind development in the Gulf of Mexico, which our state can use to continue to make major investments in coastal restoration and hurricane protection projects that protect Louisiana families from storms. I’m proud to partner with Congressman Carter to improve our state’s resiliency against Gulf storms and further support our coastal communities,” said Whip Scalise.

The BREEZE Act, among other things, increases states’ share of the revenue from Gulf of Mexico oil and gas production from 37.5 percent to 50 percent and eliminates the annual cap on funds received by Gulf states under GOMESA. Interior states receive 50% of revenue from energy leases and are not subject to an annual cap, as Louisiana is.

The introduction of the BREEZE Act was also lauded by other Louisiana leaders and stakeholders.

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